Tower · Shahrak, Afghanistan
Minaret of Jam
The Minaret of Jam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in western Afghanistan. Built 1194.
Photo: David C. Thomas (en:User:DavidThomas71) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Shahrak, Afghanistan |
|---|---|
| Type | Tower |
| Built | 1194 |
| Height | Height: 65 m |
| Coordinates | 34.3964° N, 64.5159° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Minaret of Jam is known for
The Minaret of Jam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in western Afghanistan.
About Minaret of Jam
The Minaret of Jam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in western Afghanistan. It is located in a remote and nearly inaccessible region of Shahrak District, Ghor Province, between the Jam and Hari Rivers. The 62 m (203 ft) or 65 m (213 ft) high minaret was built c. 1190, entirely of baked bricks, and is famous for its intricate brick, stucco and glazed tile decoration, which consists of alternating bands of Kufic and Naskhi calligraphy, geometric patterns, and verses from the Qur'an.
History
During the 12th and 13th century, the Ghurids controlled what is now Afghanistan, but also parts of eastern Iran, Central Asia, Northern India and parts of Pakistan. The Arabic inscription dating the minaret is unclear – it could read 1193/4 or 1174/5 when converted to Gregorian dates. It could thus commemorate the victory of the Ghurid sultan Ghiyas ud-Din over the Ghaznavids in 1186 in Lahore. However, Ralph Pinder-Wilson, a British Archeologist and Director of the British Institute of Afghan Studies in the 1970s, wrote a major study of the Minarets of Jam and Ghazni in which he expressed his belief that the minaret was built to commemorate the victory of Mu'izz ad-Din, Ghiyath ud-Din's brother, over Prithviraj Chauhan.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Shahrak |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Maimana Airport (MMZ) |
| Distance from the airport | 105.8 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Herat - Khwaja Abdullah Ansari International Airport (HEA) · Guzara, Afghanistan · 131.2 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Afghanistan
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Frequently asked questions
What is Minaret of Jam?
The Minaret of Jam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in western Afghanistan.
Where is Minaret of Jam located?
Minaret of Jam is in Shahrak, Afghanistan. Its coordinates are 34.3964° N, 64.5159° E.
How do I get to Minaret of Jam?
The nearest town is Shahrak, and the nearest airport is Maimana Airport (MMZ), about 105.8 miles away (straight line).
When was Minaret of Jam built?
Minaret of Jam was built 1194.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minaret_of_Jam — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q192981 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.